Process of making incandescent lighting-bodies.



0 WIEDERHOLD. PROCESS OF MAKING INCANDESCENT LIGHTING BODIES.APPLIGATION IILED PEB.13,1909.

996 ,182, Patented June 27, 1 911. 1

WIT M58858 INVENTOR A TTORNE Y8 THE :vonms PETERS cm, WASHINCYON, n c.

PROCESS OF MAKING INCANDESCENT LIGHTING-BODIES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OSCAR lVIEDEnI-Iom, a citizen of the United States,and resident of Jersey City, county of Hudson, State of New Jersey, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of MakingIncandescent Lighting-Bodies, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to process of making incandescent lighting bodiessuch as are used in conjunction with oxy-hydrogen flames, or in otherwords, the type of lamp known as calcium light. In such lamps anoxy-hydrogen flame is directed against a refractory body, which is thusbrought to incandescence.

The object of my invention is to improve the construction of thisrefractory body so that it will be much more durable than those employedhitherto for the same purpose and as a result of this greater durabilitythe construction of the lamp may be simplified inasmuch as it is nolonger neces sary with my improved construction to move the refractorybody so as to bring the flame in contact with different portions of suchbody.

A further object of my invention is to increase the illuminating powerof the lamp.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 isavertical section showing a portion of an oxy-hydrogen lamp embodying myimprovements; Fig. 2 is an outside view of the refractory body and itscarrier; Fig. 3 is an end view of such body and carrier; Fig. 4 is aface view of another form of carrier; Figs. 5 and 7 are face views oftwo lighting bodies formed on such carrier; Fig. 6 is a sectionalelevation of the structure shown in Fig. 5; Fig. 8 is a face view ofstill another form of my invention with parts broken away; and Fig. 9 isa corresponding side elevation.

A indicates the nozzle from which the oXy-hydrogen jet is dischargedagainst the refractory body B secured in the carrier 0, which is mountedon the support or post D. The carrier C is made of a suitable refractorymaterial such as a fire clay mixture capable of resisting high heat andis rovided with a. screw-threaded stem G for attachment to the supportD, which may be,

made of metal and is further provided at the opposite end with a flangeC and an Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 13, 1909.

Patented June 27, 1911. Serial No. 477,510.

inwardly projecting lip C forming a chamber for the reception of therefractory lighting body B. This lighting body is prepared as follows: Imix nit-rate of thorium with about 1% of cerium nitrate and reduce themixture to the form of oxids as by heating it in a baking oven. To 1.000parts of the resulting mixture I add 100 parts of a mixture consistingof 99 parts of a 50% thorium nitrate solution and 1 part of ceriumnitrate. This produces a paste which is filled into the chamber of thecarrier C and there subjected to a high pressure (say 500 pounds to thesquare inch). The compressed illuminant mixture is then baked so that itbecomes hard. The illuminant body thus produced is highly refractory andcoherent, so that it will not crumble under the influence of theoxy-hydrogen flame, even if such flame always strikes the same spot ofthe said body 13. I therefore need not make any provision for adjustingsaid body so as to make the flame strike different parts of it. Shouldthe incandescent body shrink, as it may, it will still be held in thecarrier by the lip C It will be understood that the proportions andingredients of the mixture employed may be varied. Colored lights may beob tained readily by the addition of suitable ingredients, thus theemployment of a higher percentage of cerium than above set forth willproduce a more yellow flame, while with the proportions indicated, theflame is nearly white. If a high degree of whiteness is desired, lesscerium may be added. Instead of thorium and cerium I may employ otherrare earths having the property of giving light when heated toincandescence.

I have found that a refractory body constructed as above yields a muchhigher candle power with the same consumption of gas than the usualbodies of the same character. The use of high pressure in forming therefractory body is an important feature as the body is thereby givenmuch greater durability and also will shrink less when exposed to thehigh heat than it would if the paste were simply filled into the recessof the carrier and then baked without having been compressed.

It will be understood that while I have described the production ofoxids of the rare earth metals by heating a mixture of their nitrates,the oxids may be produced in other ways. The solution of thorium nitratementioned in the present description is but one instance of a hardeningagent or hardening fluid. employed by me for the purpose of causing theilluminant mixture to form a solid compact body when further treated.Other hardening fluids may be employed, for instance a dilute solutionof nitric acid.

Instead of making the illuminating body by compression as describedabove, I may produce it without pressure by applying a solution or pastesuch as indicated, (or any other suitable solution of rare earth salts),to a suitable carrier and then-heating or baking the body. In this formof my invention I prefer to apply the solution or paste gradually and tobake each portion or addition separately. The simplest way ofaccomplishing this is to dip the carrier repeatedly into a solution orpaste of the character described and after each dipping the adheringfilm of solution is heated for instance in a blow pipe flame. Thecarrier should preferably be apertured, and in Fig. 4 I have shown aspirally Wound wire C as an example of such carrier. If only a certainnumber of coatings or clippings is employed, the illuminating body Bproduced will have a spiral shape similar to that of the carrier, seeFig. 5. If the building-up process is continued further, the gapsbetween the spiral coils will be closed entirely, so that a disk-likeilluminating body B will be produced see Fig. 7. The wire embedded inthe illuminating body will give it great strength, and will prevent itscrumbling even if the mass should crack under the influence of the greatheat. The end C of the wire may be projected axially and serve as a stemfor fastening the illuminating body to the support D, as shown in Fig.6, a set screw E clamping said stem.

In Figs. 8 and 9, I have shown an apertured carrier consisting of a ringC (formed with an attaching stem C and a network of wires C which arecovered either partly (similar to Fig. 5) or entirely as shown, by theilluminating body 13 made as described above.

I claim as my invention:

1. The herein described process of making an illuminating body, whichconsists in mixing thorium and cerium nitrates, reducing the mixture tothe form of oxids by heating, adding thereto a mixture of thoriumnitrate solution with cerium nitrate, highly compressing the resultingpaste, and baking the compressed body.

2. The herein described process of making an illuminating body, whichconsists in adding a hardening fluid to a mixture of oxids of rare earthmetals, compressing the resulting paste and baking the compressed body.

3. The herein described process of making an illuminating body, whichconsists in adding a hardening fluid to the oxid of a rare earth metal,compressing the resulting paste and baking the compressed body.

at. The herein described process of making an illuminating body, whichconsists in adding a small percentage of a solution of nitrate of rareearth metals to a mixture of oxids of rare earth metals to form a paste,compressing said paste and baking the compressed body.

5. The herein described process of making an illuminating body, whichconsists in mixing thorium and cerium nitrates, reducing the mixture tothe form of oxids by heating, adding thereto a mixture of a thoriumnitrate solution with cerium nitrate, and baking the resulting paste.

6. The herein described process of making an illuminating body, whichconsists in adding a hardening fluid to'a mixture of oxids of rare earthmetals, and baking the resulting paste.

7. The herein described process of making an illuminating body, whichconsists in adding a hardening fluid to the oxid of a rare earth metal,and baking the resulting paste.

8. The herein described process of making an illuminating body, whichconsists in adding a small percentage of a solution of nitrates of rareearth metals to a mixture of oxids of rare earth metals to form a paste,and baking such paste.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing Witnesses.

OSCAR VVIEDERHOLD. Vitnesses:

JOHN LOTKA, F. F. KIRKPATRICK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

- Washington, D. G.

